Monday, February 22, 2010

The Worst Great Idea I Ever Had - AKA I Hate Pigs

While I fully intended to use this blog to kind of document our journey into being full fledged farmers, I must talk about a most recent venture. I'll continue with the past chicken adventures and how's of how we got here later, but for now, I must tell you about My Great Idea to raise pigs.

It's officially The Worst Great Idea I've ever had.

Last fall I thought how great it would be to get pigs! Raise 'em up and have our own lard, bacon, smoked hams, sausages, etc. etc. etc. We thought we'd get piggies in November, but they weren't born until December and not ready to go to their little patch of Hog Heaven on our farm until February.

They haven't been here a month, and I already hate them.

I HATE PIGS.

They are smelly. They are so smart that it's stupid. My set up sucks, too. Keeping them in a kennel was a super bad idea because I have to go in the kennel to feed them - meanwhile, they run out the door...but they instantly run back in because they recognize their feed bucket.

They are not cuddly. They don't want you to pet them. They are not like a dog or a cat or even a chicken.

They are a thousand times worse.

I hate pigs. Really hate them.

I hate washing dishes, too. I hate washing dishes so much that I washed three sinkfuls this morning - just to put off going out to those pigs.

If we should have a total economic collapse tomorrow, I'd be totally ok with having to eat grass fed steak from my own grass fed beef every night.

And we'd still have my poultry. So, we could mix things up with the occassional drumstick and eggs.

Seriously. The pigs are not worth the trouble.....I mean, really, I don't love bacon that much. And, for now, I'm ok with buying it. I guess.

I had two clear A-Ha moments in the last couple days.

1 - we really do not eat enough pork in a week to justify torturing ourselves by raising a pig.2 - just because we have the knowledge and the space to raise some of everything doesn't mean we have to raise everything.

So those grubby, smelly, ungrateful awful pigs need to go.

Mom said I should sell all 4 pigs, but I kind of didn't like that idea, because if I am going to the trouble of feeding them, I should be allowed to enact revenge by eating at least ONE of them.

So, the tentative plan is to sell 2 piggies ASAP and we're going to roast Hambone Easter Weekend. My Uncle has a pig roaster, and we're going to see if we can borrow it.

Bacon's future demise is still undecided. E said if I want to keep one to roast, I have to keep 2 because one will try to escape all the time.

I have a guy maybe coming tomorrow for one pig, and he said he could bring his ring kit and put rings in noses...I am going to go for that!

But, hopefully, after the first week in April...no more pigs.

I will not say I'll never have pigs again, I just don't want to do it again this year...or at least not until we have a fully pig proofed pen built with a solid trough so I don't have to go in the pen to feed them.

1 comment:

LOL, so, what do you really think about pigs?Kudos for trying and learning. I can tell you will never be a boring person and will have more "life" in your life than the average person.YardFarmer Juliewww.TheYardFarmers.blogspot.com